Williamson Creek Greenbelt facts for kids

Williamson Creek Greenbelt is a cool park and a special natural area called a greenbelt in south Austin, Texas. It follows along Williamson Creek and its smaller streams, which are called tributaries. It's a great place to explore nature!

Park History

This park was officially opened in 1977. It was set aside both as a fun park and as a special area to help water drain away, which helps prevent flooding. Over the years, the park has gotten bigger thanks to gifts of land and new purchases.

For example, in 1991, about 5 acres (20,000 square meters) were added to the park. Later, in 1993, the city of Austin bought more land, adding about 13.6 acres (55,000 square meters) to Williamson Creek Greenbelt and Dove Springs District Park.

In 2006, some people living near the park were worried about a plan. The United States Army Corps of Engineers, a government group that works on water projects, suggested making the creek wider in four places. This was to help stop flooding in other neighborhoods. However, local residents were concerned that digging up parts of the creek would harm the park and their community.

Nature and Wildlife

Williamson Creek flows through the park and gets its water from many smaller streams. These smaller streams are fed by springs that flow all year round from an underground water source called the St. Elmo Bench aquifer.

Some of these smaller streams are surrounded by lots of trees. The city of Austin knows that this area is very important for nature and needs to be protected. In fact, Williamson Creek Greenbelt, along with Kensington Park, is one of the most studied natural areas in southeast Austin.

Around 1989, a plant disease called oak wilt started to affect the oak trees in Williamson Creek Greenbelt. This disease is caused by a type of fungus and can harm or even kill oak trees.